The best dog I ever had was a Golden Retriever named Chauncey...a gentle giant weighing 134 lbs.....gentle until or if anyone or anything was threatening me. Then, he turned into an attack dog par excellence. (I still mourn his death.)
I have owned two great dogs...Molly, a very loyal Sheltie mix who was my best buddy for over 10 years...and then I owned the famous Cassie the Coonhound, who grew and grew and grew until she weighed 160 pounds. She used to try to sit on my lap and I would be trapped in the chair! LOL! Cassie was well-known in the neighborhood for her "Great Escapes" in which she would run about 20 mph for long stretches of time and could NOT be coaxed home. Once I caught her INSIDE a home in which remodellers had left the door open and she was ambling around inside!
A great dog, who got cancer and died too young at six.
I am about ready for another dog but won't be considering one until after we go on vacation tis summer.